“You seem awfully impatient.”
Tatsuo said this after hearing Kakuro Sana’s one-sided declaration.
“Kakuro Sana. If I’m skilled enough to be too dangerous to join the Demon Slayers, then what about you?”
Tatsuo’s golden eyes turned to Sana.
“...I know plenty about how strong demons are, at least from books. Right now, I’m definitely weak. But not so weak that I can’t pass this test.”
Sana replied with a slight frown.
“You didn’t react to that demon that jumped out from behind earlier, did you? I was late reacting too.”
Pointing at the thing that had already turned to ash, Sana went on.
“Of course, I was also careless, but that level of demon is definitely among the stronger ones here. Which means there are plenty of demons of that caliber in this place.”
“Tsunokake. I’m saying this for your own good.”
There was genuine concern in her eyes.
“So...”
“Kakuro Sana.”
The rest of her words never came. Tatsuo cut her off.
“First, let me praise you. You seem to have a good grasp of yourself. You understand your own strength quite well.”
Tatsuo’s calm golden eyes stayed fixed on Sana.
“!!”
For a moment, Sana felt a chill run down her spine.
“But it seems you’ve only learned how to observe yourself. You don’t know how to observe others.”
Tatsuo turned his gaze to the tree beside them.
“Knowing yourself is important. But knowing your opponent is just as important.”
Tatsuo paused.
“It’s coming.”
At his words, a thunderous crash began to rumble from the direction he was looking.
“Coming? What on earth is—?”
The sound drew closer.
Tatsuo’s hand brushed the scabbard at his waist.
“The king of this place.”
With Tatsuo’s answer, the tree in that direction snapped apart, and a demon emerged.
The demon looked grotesque beyond reason.
Demons were already far removed from ordinary humans, but this one went even further.
Its grotesquely swollen upper body dwarfed its lower half, and its arms were far longer than its legs. It moved on all fours, using both hands and feet, and its entire body was packed with fat and muscle, making it look like a lump of flesh. The cloth covering it looked like little more than rags.
“Grrrraaaah!!”
The demon let out a sound no human throat could make and charged at Tatsuo’s group, smashing through trees with its massive body.
Sana’s face went rigid with shock.
“What the hell is that?! Why is a demon like that in the selection grounds...?”
Her mind raced.
“It slammed into the trees hard enough to break them, but it doesn’t have a single scratch on it, and it’s that huge...”
“I might be able to beat it, but fighting while protecting Tsunokake would be impossible!”
“And I can’t waste too much time here.”
Sana set her stance, thinking through her options at high speed.
“I’ll have to force it!”
Resolving herself, Sana tightened her grip on her sword.
“Relax, Kakuro.”
Tatsuo called to her in his usual emotionless tone.
Thanks to that, some of Sana’s tension eased, and she looked at Tatsuo.
“You’re awfully calm in a situation like this. That mental fortitude is incredible. But could you run away quickly? This one seems different from the one earlier.”
“You showed me your breathing. Now it’s my turn to return the favor.”
Ignoring Sana’s words, Tatsuo continued speaking only his own thoughts.
“Huh?”
“I’ll show you my technique.”
Before she knew it, the blade had been drawn from the scabbard and was in Tatsuo’s hand.
Sana froze.
“What is that? That color...?”
The blade in Tatsuo’s hand had a surface like glass.
“Was there ever a sword that color...?”
Her knowledge told her one thing, but the sight before her was something else entirely, and Sana was left stunned.
“!!!”
Her shock only deepened. In an instant, Tatsuo’s figure vanished from her sight.
By the time she realized it, Tatsuo was already right in front of the demon, sword raised to strike.
[**]
Breathing.
It was a technique that allowed humans to exert power beyond human limits.
The Demon Slayers combined breathing with swordsmanship to create many schools, including the five basic forms.
The names of the breathing styles were borrowed from many different things.
And those names were closely tied to the nature of the breathing itself.
For example, Thunder Breathing was a style that boasted lightning-like speed.
Likewise, Flame Breathing was a style that unleashed blazing, aggressive power like fire.
Of course, even if someone used Flame Breathing, actual flames would not appear, and even if someone used Thunder Breathing, real lightning would not strike.
But in the hands of a skilled user, these styles gave the impression that such phenomena were truly happening.
Tatsuo judged that to be a matter of imagery.
Once a swordsman fully understood the breathing style they used and what its techniques were meant to achieve, and once their body became sufficiently trained, an image would form in their mind.
And when that image became vivid enough, the breathing would rise beyond symbolism and seem as though the phenomenon itself were taking place.
In this regard, Tatsuo recalled the image he himself wanted to create.
And so he began to forge his breathing.
[**]
In an instant, Tatsuo closed the distance to the demon and stood upright, sword in hand, staring it down.
‘When was it again? About two years ago, maybe.’
Tatsuo drifted into memory.
One day, he had wanted to test his limits.
He went to a boulder he had long had his eye on.
The largest rock in the mountain. A house-sized boulder whose age was unknown.
Tatsuo swung his nodachi.
The enormous boulder was split cleanly in two with a single strike.
Tatsuo looked down.
The ground beneath his feet. At this rate, it felt like he could cut that too.
His decision and action came swiftly.
With Tatsuo’s earnest attack, the earth was deeply cleaved open with a loud crash.
Flap flap
Tatsuo lifted his head. He had heard the sound of wings somewhere nearby.
Looking up, he saw birds flying overhead. They must have been startled by the impact.
Then, all at once, Tatsuo had a thought.
‘Could I cut that too?’
Anything on the ground could be cut. Even the ground itself.
But what about the sky?
At once, Tatsuo swung his nodachi powerfully at the birds soaring high above.
A massive gust of wind erupted, shaking the trees around him.
‘I couldn’t cut it...’
His slash had not reached.
That was the moment his path was decided.
His memory returned to the present.
The demon was already right in front of him.
‘The goal of my swordsmanship is the sky.’
Power surged through his entire body.
‘I’ll cut the sky open and tear it apart. That is the image of my sword. I’ll pour that into my swordsmanship.’
“Huuuu...”
He exhaled.
[Sky-Splitting Breathing]
‘Not just its neck. I’m aiming beyond that.’
[First Form]
He stepped forward. With a heavy thud, cracks spread through the ground beneath his foot.
[Sky Splitter]
He swung his sword in a wide horizontal arc.
The demon’s neck and body were severed by Tatsuo’s strike.
It was an overwhelming slash.
From the demon’s severed cross-section, cracks spread as if the flesh itself were being torn apart, and then it began to turn to ash and disappear.
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